Going the longboard way

Updated 11:10 pm, Friday, April 5, 2013

The shouts fly down a narrow, brush-lined road just north of Rancho Diana Park outside Loop 1604, a warning to clear the way. Then comes the hiss of urethane wheels, followed by the whoosh of helmeted racers crouched over long skateboards, their arms stretched behind their backs like lanky wings.

The riders zip past the gravelly sidelines, a blur of ripped jeans and shorts with light and dark T-shirts and low-top sneakers. Many sport blocky knee pads. A few rock full motocrosslike leathers. They are eager to embrace speeds of 30 mph or more on a mere plank of wood, all that separates them from the unforgiving pavement.

Longboarding is on the rise in San Antonio, and the first-ever Mysterious Downhill Race is one of the fastest-paced examples of its growth in the Alamo City.

“There's a bunch of college kids, bunch of high school kids (doing it),” says Ehren Mohammadi, 22, a few days before the big race, which he organized. “Also like older people in their 30s and 40s.”

Mohammadi opened Insanity Boardshop in November to meet what he sees as a growing demand for longboards.

The skateboard's bigger cousin, a longboard usually runs about 3 to 3½ feet long with 10-inch wide axles called trucks and chunky wheels that hug the road. It's a ride that favors travel over tricks.

Photo: Darren Abate, Darren Abate/Express-News

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Longboard rider Austin Barker, right, 17, competes in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. Barker traveled from Houston for the event. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Longboard rider Austin Barker, right, 17, competes in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. Barker traveled from Houston for the event. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Photo: Darren Abate, Darren Abate/Express-News

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Longboard riders compete in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Longboard riders compete in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Photo: Darren Abate, Darren Abate/Express-News

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Longboard riders compete in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Longboard riders compete in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Photo: Darren Abate, Darren Abate/Express-News

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Longboard riders prepare to start their heat during the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Longboard riders prepare to start their heat during the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Photo: Darren Abate, Darren Abate/Express-News

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Longboard riders compete in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Longboard riders compete in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Photo: Darren Abate, Darren Abate/Express-News

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A longboard rider takes part in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

A longboard rider takes part in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Photo: Darren Abate, Darren Abate/Express-News

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Longboard rider Austin Barker, left, 17, who traveled from Houston, prepares to compete in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Longboard rider Austin Barker, left, 17, who traveled from Houston, prepares to compete in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Photo: Darren Abate, Darren Abate/Express-News

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A longboard rider, with duct tape covering tears in his protective leathers, prepares to take part in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

A longboard rider, with duct tape covering tears in his protective leathers, prepares to take part in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Photo: Darren Abate, Darren Abate/Express-News

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Longboard riders prepare to take part in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Longboard riders prepare to take part in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Photo: Darren Abate, Darren Abate/Express-News

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A longboard rider holds his board as he prepares to take part in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

A longboard rider holds his board as he prepares to take part in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Photo: Darren Abate, Darren Abate/Express-News

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A longboard rider takes part in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

A longboard rider takes part in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Photo: Darren Abate, Darren Abate/Express-News

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A longboard rider wipes out during the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

A longboard rider wipes out during the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Photo: Darren Abate, Darren Abate/Express-News

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Longboard riders compete in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Longboard riders compete in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Photo: Darren Abate, Darren Abate/Express-News

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A longboard rider takes part in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

A longboard rider takes part in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Photo: Darren Abate, Darren Abate/Express-News

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A longboard rider, with duct tape covering tears in his protective leathers, prepares to take part in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

A longboard rider, with duct tape covering tears in his protective leathers, prepares to take part in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Photo: Darren Abate, Darren Abate/Express-News

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Longboard riders take the long walk back to the top of the course after completing a run during the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Longboard riders take the long walk back to the top of the course after completing a run during the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Photo: Darren Abate, Darren Abate/Express-News

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Longboard riders prepare to take part in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Longboard riders prepare to take part in the Mysterious Downhill Race, Saturday, March 23, 2013, in San Antonio. (Darren Abate/For the Express-News)

Photo: Darren Abate, Darren Abate/Express-News

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Longboarding March 28. 2013.

Longboarding March 28. 2013.

Photo: Juanito M Garza, San Antonio Express-News

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Longboarding March 28. 2013.

Longboarding March 28. 2013.

Photo: Juanito M Garza, San Antonio Express-News

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Going the longboard way

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“It's a much more accessible form of skateboarding,” says Justus Zimmerly, editor in chief of Skate[Slate] Longboarding Magazine.

Zimmerly says longboards are more stable and beginner-friendly than typical skateboards, thanks in large part to their longer wheelbase. The softer wheels for longboarding also make it easier to navigate the roads than those on a conventional skateboard.

Casual longboarders just cruise on streets or sidewalks, while so-called free-riders slide their wheels while they roll for a more technical and stylish run. The more adrenaline-fueled longboaders, such as the Mysterious riders, “bomb” down hills at breakneck speed.

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Those Mysterious racers run the gamut, from fresh-faced riders called “groms” for “grommets,” a slang term for younger skaters, to a few of those aforementioned elder chairmen of the board called “O.G.” for “older guys,” a play on the acronym better known to mean “original gangster.” The race draws 80 entrants, including a handful of women.

One O.G. on the scene especially relishes the course. His assessment might speak for local longboarding in general.

At 47, Eng looks like a sun-baked Bruce Jenner, an old-school skater with graying beach boy hair and a twinkle in his crinkled eyes. He sports a blue, black and white motocrosslike jacket with blue jeans, black knee pads and black sneakers.

Eng has been skating for more than 30 years, longer than many of the day's riders have even drawn breath. He and fellow longboarder Kelly Francis launched SLAB almost six years ago. What started as a handful of riders has blossomed into a legion of more than 400 members, most of them young, though the oldest is a 61-year-old dentist.

Zimmerly says longboarding really exploded nationally about seven years ago, as pockets of longboarders discovered each other through YouTube clips and Internet forums. What started as a grassroots resurgence of downhill skateboarding from the 1970s soon grew into a full-fledged scene, with longboard brand support and sanctioned events.

Contrary to any renegade typecasting, SLAB stresses longboarding safety. No one can join SLAB for a skating session without safety gear.

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Short takes on longboarding

• Expect to pay more than $200Ö for a complete longboard setup. A quality longboard deck alone costs around $130Ö. Most are made from Canadian maple though some use bamboo and carbon fiber. The trucks, which hold the wheels, often are made from recycled metal and cost around $50Ö per pair. A set of fourÖ urethane wheels runs around $40Ö. Bearings for the wheels cost extra.

• Longboards vary in size and shape. Some decks have a kick-tail like traditional skateboards, while others hold their trucks at the very ends of the board so the rider can really only steer or stop by leaning into turns or sliding the wheels. Longboard styles include: a symmetrical deck with a narrow nose and tail to free the wheels from biting into the board, a bullet-shaped board with a pointy nose and a pintail style that favors a skinny teardrop.

• Top-mount or drop-through? Contrary to its name, a top-mount longboard has the trucks mounted flush to the bottom of the board. A drop-through deck has a cross-like opening at either end so the trucks are attached through the longboard instead of below it.

• Gotta be the shoes. VansÖ remain the skate sneakers of choice for longboarders (and just about any other skateboarders) though NikeÖ also offers cool kicks for longboarding.

• Armor up. Helmets are a longboarder's best friend, along with knee pads, elbow pads and gloves. Serious downhill riders step up to full-face helmets and leather outfits with built-in pads.

Video

mySA.com:﻿﻿ See footage of longboarders at the Mysterious Downhill Race.

Not that that keeps Eng from engaging in some street-shredding derring-do. He recalls hitting 55 mph at San Antonio Ranch. His record speed: 58 mph.

“I want to hit 60 before I'm 50,” he says.

Of course, not all longboarders hop on to scorch asphalt. Zimmerly says some just longboard for the commute to work, while others do it for weekend exercise. Some parents even longboard with their kids as a family fitness activity.

“There's a common joke,” Zimmerly says, “that people who can't skateboard start longboarding.”

But the need for speed tends to lead the charge. UTSA student Jah'Chin Hooey founded the Rollin Runners longboard group last fall. He sees plenty of what he calls campus cruisers, but says downhill is where it's at in longboarding. “Overall, I'd say bombing is definitely the most popular.”

Which is why, like Eng, Hooey also stresses the need for safety. The Mysterious Downhill Race proves that point with its share of wipeouts where it curves into a turn buffeted by some mercifully placed hay bales.

Julien Vincent has by far the gnarliest slam. The gangly skater hits the hay bales so hard he actually blacks out for a few seconds. Then he stretches a long arm up for a reassuring wave.

“I'm good,” he manages while buried in a pile of hay and rocks.

The fall rips open Vincent's white Skate House Media T-shirt, leaving his back peppered with scratches like bloody buckshot. His full-face helmet ensures he can still offer a tired smile after the crash.

Later at the top of the hill, Vincent talks about how he started working at the local Fast Forward skate shop in September as a longboard tech. He predicts longboarding will boom here in the next two years.